Psalm 20: O may the LORD God answer you
O may the LORD God answer you,
When you are in distress.
And may the name of Jacob’s God,
May it protect you.
O may he send you help from the sanctuary
And grant you support from Zion;
Grant you support from Zion.
May he remember your sacrifice,
Accept your burnt offering.
And may he give you your heart’s desire
Make all your plans succeed.
We’ll shout for joy when you are victorious,
And lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the LORD grant all your requests.
Now this I know that the LORD our God
Saves his anointed one.
He answers him from his holy heaven,
With power from his right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
But we put our trust in the name of our God.
We trust in the name of our God.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
But we trust in our God.
And they are brought to their knees and fall,
But we rise up and stand firm.
O LORD give victory unto the king,
Please answer our prayer in the name of our God.
LORD save the king,
And answer our call.
Answer us when,
Answer us when we call.
Jeff Lowe: lead vocal, backing vocals, guitar, bass, drums
Paul Bellingham: piano
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Psalm 20 Reflection
A benediction is a prayer asking for divine blessing and this is what we have in psalm 20. The psalmist addresses the King, petitioning God for a blessing. In Eastern Orthodox tradition the psalm would have been recited each morning as a way of believers blessing one another at the start of the day. The prayer is full of hope that God will provide, and climbs to a great shout of joy in verse 5, rather like some of our modern worship songs in its use of exhuberant language.
But in the midst of a life of hope, there is opposition and the opposition often is formidable. Yet we, the praying Church, know that unholy actions will one day be swept away by God’s wrath. We will rejoice in the victory over sin, death and Hell.